Is an Allotment a Leisure Activity or a Way to Grow Cheap Food?

Is an allotment a leisure activity, or is it a way to grow cheap food? I think it's a bit of both. And so maybe you could consider the benefits and costs compared with, say, joining a jim and having going there every week,. Or if you take up cricket or snooger or something, you'll need all the equipment. Growing your own means that you be able to discover some fantastic produce, some fantastic flavors that are not available unless you grow it yourself. But what i think is quite fascinating, why is it? For example, in this country, we have hundreds of different varieties of apples, but yet you could only buy three or four in